Gopher hoops fans talking about Tubby's future

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tubby's team has fallen on tough times. At one time earlier in the season, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball team was ranked among the nation's top ten. Now, after several losses, some fans are calling for a new coach.

"It actually started changing from anger to apathy," the creator of the Twitter handle @FireTubby told KARE 11 over the phone. He says he's doubled his followers in the past week and a half. "The more the Gophers play, the bigger our crowd gets it seems."

Other fans aren't ready for a change at the top. "Fire Tubby? I don't know man. He's a strong man. I've got his back 100 percent," U of M Senior Terrell Bradley said. "The Big Ten is super competitive and a new coach would have a hard time too," Gopher fan Fred Dulles of St. Paul said.

There was a hashtag floating in the twitter universe the night of the Ohio State game called #TubbyBuyoutFund that was a nod towards the coach's contract.

"I do think that people are too quick to pull the trigger. I think there are a lot of things to look at. There's obviously the buyout money, there is also who is your replacement?" Nadine Babu said. Babu runs the popular fan website GopherHole.com. She says she's hearing lots of talk on twitter and she understands it.

"I think this is Tubby's most talented team as many people have said and so the fact that we're not doing it with this team says a lot about the coaching," Babu explained.

Do the Gophers have enough left in the tank to sneak into the NCAA tournament? Can they make a run in the Big Ten tournament? There is still basketball to be played, and Tubby's approval rating in the Twin Cities seems to be changing with every game.

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